


Light in the Darkest of Times

by Annide



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, F/F, Implied/Referenced Torture, New Year's Eve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-08
Updated: 2016-01-08
Packaged: 2018-05-12 16:05:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5671963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annide/pseuds/Annide
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Feeling his constant support of Harry Potter in his magazine might cause the Death Eaters to try something, Xenophilius has Luna stay in Hogwarts for the holidays, thinking she'd be safe there. But things aren't the same in the castle since Dumbledore's death.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Light in the Darkest of Times

**Author's Note:**

> What happens when you're too busy during the holidays is you end up posting a holiday fic a week late.
> 
> Title comes from a Dumbledore quote.

                Luna woke up Christmas morning in the temporary empty dormitory. All the other girls sharing her room had gone home during the break. She had to stay at Hogwarts as her father told her he was traveling for The Quibbler. Which sounded weird because he usually brought her with, but she couldn't say anything in a letter, no ways of communication were safe at Hogwarts anymore.

                Luna unwrapped her gifts. She had gotten three this year, one from Xeno, one from Neville and another from Ron. She wondered why Ron had managed to send a gift, but Harry and Hermione didn't, weren't they all together anymore? Had something happened to them? She wished the best for them. Then, disappointed she hadn't gotten anything from that one particular person, she decided to visit Neville in the Room of Requirements. Unfortunately, she never made it there. She ran into the Carrows who look a little too happy to see her.

                "Hi, little girl, we have a message we need to send your father."

                "You want me to write my dad a letter for you?"

                "Oh no, we're talking about a different kind of message."

                Of what went on after that, Luna mostly remembered pain and the sound of her own screams. But she was able to figure out what the message for Xenophilius was : we can hurt your daughter, so you better stop resisting us.

                New Year's Eve came. Luna was lying in bed in the hospital wing. She hadn't left it since Christmas day. Neville had taken the risk to come visit her once, which Luna thought was careless and he shouldn't have, but the gesture had warmed her heart. She received no other visits. She didn't blame any of the others for not coming. All the D.A. members were scared, with reason. Ginny didn't even know she was hurt, having gone home for Christmas. And as for Harry, Hermione and Ron, well, no one knew for sure if they were even still alive.

                Luna realized she'd managed to fall asleep despite the pain when a weight on her bed startled her awake. The first thing she saw was a ginger ponytail falling down on the front of a blue knit sweater with a golden "G" on it. It could only be one person.

                "Oh, I'm sorry, Luna. I didn't mean to wake you up."

                "Ginny, what are you doing here? I thought you were spending Christmas break at home. How did you even find me here?"

                "I came back early to be with you at the turn of the year, as some kind of late gift, but you weren't in your dorm. I thought you might be spending it with Neville so I went to the room of requirements and he told me you'd gotten hurt, so I ran here. What happened?"

                "Oh, you know, the usual. The Carrows were after me to threaten my dad who's still supporting Harry in The Quibbler. They wanted to scare him. I don't remember exactly, I know they used the cruciatus curse a lot and I think I might've fallen down some stairs, but it's still a little foggy in my head."

                "This is horrible!"

                "It's nothing, at least I don't have to hide like Neville yet."

                "Maybe you should, before they decide this isn't enough and they need to do worse, like kidnap you or something."

                "Maybe, but it'll have to wait until I can at least stand on my own."

                "Oh, Luna, I should've invited you to the Burrow for the holidays. I'm such a bad friend."

                "A bad friend wouldn't have come back early from home during the holidays just to spend an evening with their friend in this terrible place."

                "Talking of which..."

                Ginny looked at the clock, silent, and Luna simply stared at her. She was so beautiful with the moonlight shining in her ginger hair and that smile still on her face despite everything. Ginny never lost hope, like she knew they would win in the end. Luna believed that too, but not with as much force and confidence as her Gryffindor friend. She didn't have that fire in her eyes either. But when the clock stroke midnight, all that fire and passion was for her, as Ginny leaned down, slowly put her hands in the nape of Luna's head, careful not to hurt her further, and kissed her with enough love to light up this whole room.


End file.
